In the Mood: How Sexual Desire Predicts and is Predicted by Romantic Partners’ Mood

The association between mood and sexual desire has been the object of significant scientific and public interest. How mood shapes and is shaped by sexual desire is typically studied within one and the same individual, yet sexual desire is often experienced in the context of a romantic relationship. To obtain a more complete picture of the relation between mood and sexual desire, we examined the temporal interplay between mood and sexual desire both within and between partners in a romantic relationship. Using data from an experience sampling study involving both partners of mixed-gender romantic couples (N = 188; M_age = 26.34, SD_age = 5.33), we investigated how each partner's mood (in terms of positive and negative affect) predicted their own sexual desire as well as that of their partner and vice versa. Results of both concurrent and temporal analyses confirmed bidirectional associations between mood and sexual desire both within and between partners, such that (1) both a person's own and their partner's positive mood predicted an increase in sexual desire, and a person's own and their partner's negative mood predicted a decrease in sexual desire. In addition, (2) both a person's own and their partner's sexual desire predicted an increase in positive mood, and a person's own and their partner's sexual desire predicted a decrease in negative mood. Only a few gender differences were found. The results underscore how sexual desire can predict and be predicted by both romantic partners' mood, highlighting the need for interactional models of sexual desire.